(After his Second Awakening, Kuchiba Hiro's body had already surpassed the limits of ordinary humans. The Earth's gravity seemed to make an exception for him, no longer feeling so absolute. With just a light leap, as if shedding his shackles, he could easily clear a six-meter-high wall and land without a sound.
When he started running, his speed was even more appalling. His legs blurred into afterimages, and his short-distance burst speed was even comparable to a top-tier sports car!
Facing the smooth, vertical exterior walls of concrete skyscrapers, his fingers seemed to turn into the hardest alloy climbing spikes, easily digging into the concrete to provide a powerful grip. He climbed upward rapidly like a nimble gecko, as if walking on flat ground.
He ran through the dense urban buildings, performing jumps that far exceeded human limits, easily crossing dozens of meters from one rooftop to another. His movements were fluid and full of power, enough to make any world-class long jumper retire in shame—because this was simply not a realm humans could reach.
Relying on this inhuman mobility, Kuchiba Hiro easily shook off all possible pursuit and surveillance. Carrying Hiratsuka Shizuka's corpse, like a ghostly black shadow, he quickly left the city and arrived at an abandoned, weed-choked factory in the suburbs.
Finding a relatively clean open space, he carefully laid down Hiratsuka Shizuka's body. Looking at his teacher's shattered skull and pale, lifeless face, he silently took off his dust- and blood-stained jacket and gently draped it over her, barely covering the most shocking wounds.
Then, he began to silently collect anything flammable in the abandoned factory—rotting wooden door frames, broken window sashes, scraps of wood scattered on the floor, and even some discarded oily cotton yarn... He gathered these miscellaneous items together, piling them into a sizable pyre.
He carefully leveled the top of the pyre as much as possible and laid down some relatively clean wood chips, making it look... more like a platform for eternal rest rather than a random pile of trash.
Only after doing this did he pick up Hiratsuka Shizuka's remains again and gently place her on the pyre in as peaceful a posture as possible.
Stepping back two paces, he found some dry kindling and lit a fire in the most primitive way, then threw it into the pyre.
The fire was small at first, licking the dry wood chips, but it quickly spread and grew stronger. The orange tongues of flame gradually engulfed the cold body, making crackling sounds. The flickering firelight reflected on Kuchiba Hiro's expressionless but complex-eyed face, casting his long shadow on the broken walls.)
In the Real World, all the viewers watching this scene through the light screen almost simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from their hearts.
"I knew it! How could Kuchiba Hiro really be that cold-blooded!"
"He was raised in human society after all; basic morals and bottom lines are still there."
"So he took her away because he was afraid the teacher's remains would be desecrated or exploited by those hunting him... It was to let her rest in peace."
"Thank goodness, he still has his humanity! I almost stopped being a fan!"
Many people began to feel relieved or even cheer for the fact that Kuchiba Hiro still possessed humanity through this act.
Meanwhile, those who had previously advocated for "making the best use of everything" and "maximizing resources" felt embarrassed. They quickly turned their criticism toward Kuchiba Hiro's "stupidity" and "wastefulness."
"Sentimental folly! Burning a Transcedents's corpse just like that?"
"Talking about this in a life-or-death environment? Truly idiotic!"
"Just wait, he'll eventually suffer greatly or even lose his life because of this useless 'kindness'!"
In the Real-World Classroom, Kuchiba Hiro watched the flickering flames and his silent, standing "self" on the light screen. His originally tightly furrowed brows finally began to relax.
"This... is slightly more reasonable," he thought to himself. Although still cruel, at least that "self's" choice aligned with a certain bottom line in his heart that he was unwilling to cross, no longer a pure, uncomfortable, cold calculation.
(On the light screen, the flickering flames reflected in Kuchiba Hiro's deep eyes, as if casting a glimmer of light into the dead silence of his heart.
He watched the familiar body in the fire gradually being engulfed by the flames and turning into charcoal. His heart was filled with a mix of emotions, like a spice shop overturned—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty all mixed together—leaving only an indescribable heaviness in the end.
There was a faint sorrow for the passing of a friend and teacher who had cared for him; there was the helplessness and bitterness of having to personally cause this and kill her; and even more, there was the towering rage and cold reflection toward the manipulators behind the scenes, toward the so-called "rules" and "big picture."
If he killed Yota Yukinoshita, or even everyone who directly or indirectly caused his father's death, could everything really return to normal?
Could his life, forced into a vortex of revenge and with hands stained with blood, ever return to the way it was before—when he only needed to quietly read books and contemplate the world?
At the end of revenge, could he truly find liberation from the bone-corroding pain and hatred and gain inner peace?
No one could give him an answer. Until the final moment, even he himself wouldn't know.
But there was one thing that could be certain at this moment—
He would keep going.
Along this road paved with blood and fire, he would continue forward to find the man named Yota Yukinoshita and reach a... final conclusion.
The fire blazed, temporarily swallowing all sin and punishment, love and hate, struggle and choice, within its scorching light.)
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